Bua Lango

Adonara, a little island in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia is filled with unique traditions, one of them is Bua Lango, having meals together with all family members and ancestors. Bua Lango usually takes place in Ri’e Hikun, a special corner made as the worship place for the ancestors. It is held to show our grateful to ancestors for their blessed during the whole year to the whole big family member. In the past, people held Bua Lango to be thankful to their ancestors for the field results but nowadays people held Bua Lango not only for the crops (because some family lost their land by selling activity) but also for the blessings in their work, health, and education. Bua Lango must be attended by all family members from the same grandfather and grandmother. The one that didn’t follow Bua Lango for some reason will be represented by other family member. Man will represent male ancestors or male family members who could not attend Bua Lango and women will represent women ancestors or women family member who could not attend Bua Lango.
The preparation for Bua Lango is quite simple. First, simply boil a Bu’rak fish, a special fish that lives in the sea surrounding Adonara Island. Second is to prepare the rice as the staple food. Third is preparing the cutlery as many as the number of family. The next preparation is to make few little baskets from leaves to put rice, peanut, corn and other crops on it, and then preparing big basket from leaves to place it all. Finally, Bua Lango is ready to hold by closing all the windows and doors in the main house, for no one is allowed to come and go out of the house during the process.
The process of Bua Lango is very unique. It consists of two big parts which are the opening and closing. In the opening process, first, each of the participants will get Oho, traditional process of shampooing using coconut milk. Second, each of them will have a facial wash, chest wash, hands wash, and legs wash. The third process is drinking Tuak, traditional beer. The next step is eating the rice and fish. All of those steps are held as many as the ancestors or family members that each person represents. For example, if a woman represents seven grandmothers then she would have to drink tuak for seven times. After that, the leader of the ceremony will put all the small baskets in the street in front of our main house. In the end of the opening process, all the participant could eat the meals and drink tuak together as many as they want. After that, the entire participant will wait for sunset to hold the closing part. In the closing part, they all have to repeat the opening ritual except for eating the meals replaced by only drinking tuak.
Bua Lango is not only about sharing a day with the ancestors to show gratitude for the whole year and to pray for the ancestors’ blessings for the next year but it also gives chance to the family members to get closer. Since this tradition doesn’t allow anyone to come and go out of the house, most people spend this moment to share each other. Sometimes, we share serious problems and sometimes we share jokes such how we first used hand phone, while continuing drinking tuak.